Macquarie University swaps in-person psychology classes with AI chatbot for two subjects
Macquarie University in Australia has replaced in-person classes in two mandatory psychology subjects with an AI chatbot called "Virtual Peer", alongside online quizzes and optional tutorials, as part of a broader trend of universities expanding AI's role in teaching. The university says the AI activities merely "supplement" core online learning and are not compulsory, with assessment still based on separate research tasks and exams, but critics argue the shift reflects a wider pattern that could lead to staff cuts and erode meaningful engagement between students and teachers.
The two units, which cost students $2,174 each in 2026, previously offered in-person classes and will do so again only in alternate semesters from 2027. Paid tutors still run optional weekly Zoom sessions, though at a ratio of roughly one class per 70 students, and attendance is reportedly patchy outside assessment periods. Virtual Peer answered nearly 80,000 questions in all of 2025 but almost matched that total in just the first half of 2026, and Macquarie says surveys show strong staff and student support, even as one anonymous student described feeling "short-changed" and likened the exercise to "teaching this robot how to take jobs away from my teachers." Macquarie joins Melbourne and Sydney universities in systematically embedding AI into teaching, while academics such as Central Queensland University's Meena Jha warn that replacing human contact risks harming student engagement.
- Macquarie University replaces in-person psychology classes with AI chatbot tutorials
- Tutors remain but at roughly one session per 70 students
- Critics fear trend will cut jobs and erode student-staff engagement
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Macquarie University is a public university in Sydney, Australia. Psychology students take required subjects that combine course material, teaching and assessment; the two subjects in this story cost $2,174 each in 2026.
Universities are increasingly using artificial intelligence tools in teaching. Macquarie’s Virtual Peer is a chatbot that answers students’ questions, while paid tutors offer optional weekly online sessions and in-person classes are scheduled to return in alternate semesters from 2027.
The debate is about how much teaching can be shifted to technology without reducing students’ contact with teachers. Supporters point to the chatbot’s use and survey responses, while critics worry that fewer opportunities for human interaction could affect learning and the role of teaching staff.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A university can reasonably use an AI chatbot to give students quick, round-the-clock help with routine questions, while online quizzes let them practise at their own pace. Macquarie says the activities supplement core learning, assessments remain separate, and optional tutor sessions are available; if student and staff feedback is positive, the approach may widen access to support and free teaching staff to focus on more complex needs.
The case against
Students paying substantial fees can reasonably expect meaningful access to teachers and tutors, especially in mandatory subjects. A chatbot and sparsely attended optional sessions may not provide the discussion, feedback or human connection that help students learn, and expanding this model could weaken teaching quality or put academic jobs at risk even if the current activities are described as supplementary.